Drawbar and yoke connection



June 10, 1930. s. B. HASELTINE 197625533v DRAW BAR AND YOKE CONNECTION Filed April 18, 1927 @M fly w m Win65? Patented June 10, 1930 omrao 1 snares PATENT OFFICE STACY B. rinsntrmn, or cn caeo, ILnrnors, nssienon mo w. H. MINER, me, or a I onrcaeo, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE LDRAWBAR Ann YoKn connncrion Application an April 18,

i This invention relates to improvements in -drawbar andyoke connections. 7 l

' One object of the invention is to provide "asimple efiicient means for connecting the Rim drawhar and draft yoke eta railway draft erative conditions.

i from the description and rigging, wherein ready, attachmentiand cletachment of the drawbar is provided for.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for detachably connecting the drawhar to the yoke of a railwal draft rigging, including a holding element wherein the butt end of the drawbar co-operates with the holding element to prevent displeiipement of the latter and lock it to the yo e. l 1 l i A, more specific object of the invention is to provide a means for connecting the drawbar to the yoke wherein the drawbar is held attached to the yoke by a locking element insertahle and removahiethrough transverse slots in the head end of the yoke which slots are oft-set with respect to supporting means for the element in the yoke whereby the locking element when in position is disposed outof line with the slots and held by the butt of the drawbar to prevent displacement of the locking element transversely of the yoke and drawbarytogetherwith means on the locking element and the yokewhichinen ter-engage "and prevent movement of the locking element with the drawbar under p- Other objectsand advantages of the invention will more fully and clearly appear claims hereinafter following. y i i In the drawing, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is aside elevational View of a'drawbar and yoke illustrating my improvements in connection therewith. Figure-2 i'sa horizontal 'sectiOnajlyie corresponding substantial ly tothe' line 2-52 of s Figure 1. And Figure 3 is a transverseverti'cal sectional view corresponding substantially to the line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing the butt of the dra wbar in'dottedlines.

As shown in the drawings, my improvementscomprise broadly: A yoke A; a drawq bar B; and a lockingelement C. Theyoke Aha-s the usual upper and lower 1927. Serial No. 184,501.

16 forming an extension on lower arm 11 of the. yoke, and which provides a support for a portion of the locking element 0 herein after referred to. The top wall 15 at the outer end thereof is provided with a downturned flange section 17 which presents a short vertical shoulder adapted to co-operate with the drawbar butt. The forward ends of the walls 147-14, and the bottom wall 16, are provided with forwardly projecting spaced extensions 1818, and said extensions and portions of the side walls 14-14 are provided with transversely aligned slots l9l9, each of which issubstantially ovate in form and disposed at an angle with reference to the longitudinal axis of the yoke and at an angle to the top surface of the inclined wall portion 16, providing abutmentsurfaces 20--20 which co-operate with the locking element O in a manner hereinafterreferred to.

The drawbar B is of the usual form and i has an enlarged butt end 21 which is shouldered at the top and bottom as inclicated at 22-22. The upper shoulder 22 is adapted to engage behind the flange 17 at the top of the yoke to prevent outward movement of the drawbar when the parts are locked in assembled relation. The opening at the forward end of the hood between the flange 17, the bottom wall 16, and the extensions 18l8, is of such a size as to per mit the insertion of the drawbar butt through the front end of the yoke.

Thelocking element or block C is in the form of a relatively heavy plate-like mem her having an upstanding transversely disposed flange 23, and a bottom wall 24 dis posed at substantially right angles to the flange 23, the locking element O being in: sertabletransversely of the yoke through the slots 19*19, and said element is provided with substantially ovate end portions 25-425 which loosely fitin the slots 19-19. The upstanding flange 23 presents a transverse.

against the walls ofthe' extensions 1818' which define the forward portions of the slots 1919, the locking element being thus I held against movement in a direction length-wise of the yoke, and due to the disposition of the wall 24 between the abutment portions 2020 relative lateral movement of the locking element with respect to the yoke is prevented. The end portions 25-25 are provided with portions forming strengthening webs 2626, which tie together the flange 23 and wall 24 and which, together with said flange and wall, define a recess to accommodate'the lower shoulder'22 on the butt ofthe drawbar.

As is well-known in the art, the yoke A is adapted to accommodate the usual shock absorbing mechanism employed in railway draft'riggings, the shock absorbing mechanismbeing usually. associated with front and rear followers which co-operate with stop lugs on the draft sills, the followers being also disposed within the yoke and 00-- operating respectively with the butt end of the drawbar and the abutment surface 27 of the rear section 12 of the yoke. It ,will be evidentthat whenthe yokehas the shock absorbing mechanism and followers assembled therewith, the drawbar will be yieldably maintained in its outer-most position as shown in Figure 1,,thereby holding the butt of the drawbar seated in the recess of the locking member C, so that displacement of the'locking element in a direction to bring 7 about disengagement of the ends of the wall 24 with the abutment portions, 20 -20 is prevented; 7 o V Inassembling the drawbar 'B with the yoke A the butt of they drawbar'is passed through the opening at the forwardend of the hoodof the yoke. Due to the fact that the bottom wall 16- isinclined by tilting the drawbar with respect to the longitudinal axis of the yoke, the drawbar butt will pass freely throughthe'hood until the butt section'of the drawbar is disposed entirely within the hood. The drawbar is then straightened up with respect to the yoke moved rearwardly within the yoke a sufficient distance for the lower abutment shoulder 22 to clear the rear ends of the slots 1919 in the sidewalls of the hood. It

' will'be' evident that when the drawbar butt isin the last named position, the locking block or element C may be freely inserted in a transverse-direction through the slots 19 19, and turned in a clockwise direction to engage the rear portion of the wall 24 between the abutment portions 20-20 on the side walls of the hood. When the drawbar yoke has been thus far assembled, the drawbar is pulled forwardly locking the lower portion of the butt within the recess of the locking block and the lower shoulder 22 against the flange23 on the locking element and the upper shoulder 22 against the shoulder 17 on the upper arm of the yoke. It will be evident that the locking block will thus be positively held against transverse displacement and that outward movement of the drawbar will be limited by engagement with the shoulders 22 of the butt section engaging the flange 17 at the upper side of the hood and the flange 23 of the locking block C. With the draft gear assembled within the yoke as heretofore explained the drawbar will be yieldingly maintained in its outermost position, thereby effectively interlocking the drawbar with the locking block to prevent lateral displacement of the latter, the lockingblock holding the drawbar assembled with the yoke. By reason of the inter-engagement of the ends of the wall 24 with the abutments 2020' on the walls 14-14 of the hood, tilting or lateral movement of the locking element 0, which would occur due to swinging movement of the outer end of the drawbar when rounding a curve, is prevented, and the locking element forms in effect apart of the yoke, suffic'ient clearance being provided in the recess of the locking element to permit tilting of the butt of the drawbar relative thereto, and by this arrangement the opposite ends ofrthe locking element at all times bear substantially equally upon the walls of the exten- 1H5 sions 1 818 defining the forward portions of the slots 19-19. 7

While I have herein shown and described what I consider theapreferred manner of carrying out the invention, the same is merely illustrative, and I contemplate all changes and modifications which come within the scope of the claims appended hereto. l

I claim: V w

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a drawbar having a shouldered butt; of a yoke having a hood section at one end adapted to receive the shouldered drawbar butt, the side walls of said hooded section being provided with openings adapted to receive a locking block; a removable shouldered locking block disposed transversely of the hoodjandextending through said openings, said shoulder being adapted to engage the shoulder-of the drawbar butt to holdthe drawbar assembled with the yoke, said block having portions adapted to coroperate' with inter-engaging portions of said yoke toprevent lateral dislodgment of said locking block with respect its forward end with a hooded head providing side walls and a shoulder adapted to co-act with a corresponding shoulder on a coupler butt, the wall of the yoke opposite the shouldered portion being cit-set, said side walls being provided with elongated slots disposed at an angle to the oft-set wall; and a locking member provided with a shoulder adapted to co-act with the corresponding shoulder of the drawbar butt, and having an angular extension thereon, said member being insertable through said slots and rotatable to dispose the angular portion between the side walls of said head to prevent accidental removal of said locking block.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a yoke having side walls provided with openings; of a drawbar having a T-headed butt end; anda locking element, said locking element having a supporting surface for said T-headed end of the drawbar, said locking element detachably connecting the drawbar to the yoke and being assembled with the yoke by lateral insertion through said openings and being tiltable when in position in the yoke to bring the supporting surface thereof into operative position with respect to the T-headed end of the drawbar, said locking element and yoke having co-operating means thereon effective when in operative position to prevent lateral displacement of said element with respect to the yoke, thereby preventing removal of said element in a lateral direction from the yoke, said element having abutment means thereon cooperating with a T-headed end of the drawbar to limit outward movement of the drawbar with respect to the yoke.

4. A hooded yoke for draft riggings, formed at its forward end to receive a drawbar butt 'therewithin; and a removable locking block adapted to engage a shoulder on the drawbar to limit outward movement of the latter, the hood of said yoke having openings at opposite sides to receive the locking block and through which said block is insertahle, the front walls of said openings limiting forward movement of the block, said block having a reduced portion which, when the block is tilted to operative position, engages between the side walls of the hood to prevent removal of the block in av transverse direction with respect to the yoke.

5 In a devicfe of the character described, the combination with a yoke; of a drawbar having the butt end thereof fitted within the head of the yoke; and means for detachably connecting the drawbar and the yoke, including a locking element, said yoke being provided with transversely aligned openingsadapted to receive the locking element, and also having means thereon cooperating with said locking element to hold t e same against displacement longitudinally of the yoke, said openings permitting bodily insertion and removal of said locking element transversely of the yoke, said locking element having an offset portion having shouldered engagement interiorally with the opposite side portions of the head of the yoke, thereby preventing relative lateral movement of said locking element,

with respect to the yoke during operative movements of the drawbar butt.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with a hooded yoke provided with side walls, having a shoulder thereon, said side walls having slots to permit insertion of a locking member; of a shouldered drawbar butt; and a locking member provided with an extension, said locking member being bodily insertable into said yoke through said slots and provided with a transverse vertical wall defining a shoulder corresponding to said first-named shoulder, said shoulders co-operating with the shoulders of the drawbar butt to limit outward movement of the drawbar, said locking member being tiltable after insertion to support the drawbar butt and to dispose the extension of the member between the solid portions oi. said side walls to prevent lateral movement and tilting of the locking member under operative conditions, said locking member having side can have hereunto subscribed my name this 14th day of April, 1927.

STACY B. HASELTINE. 

